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Collect/Connect Dots

The Advisor That Cares

Mapping Your Learner’s Journey

  • How can the BHAG be used to create a defining purpose for the course/program?
  • If making meaningful connections is central to learning then why do we spend so much of our time encouraging our learners to collect the dots rather than connect the dots?
  • Consider the role of an expert’s bias in your learning environment and how one can rely on learner/peer collaboration to further learning.
  • Where are you in your learning journey? Where are you taking your learners?
  • Are you a dependent or independent learner? Are you creating dependent or independent learners?
  • Consider the importance of creating effective learning outcomes.
  • Have you considered how you are going to align your outcomes, activities, and assessments? Why is this important?
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Humanism and Advising

The Advisor That Cares

I’m feeling very wishy-washy. I keep thinking I have found a learning theory, then I learn more about it and change my mind again. Most recently, I thought there might be a mash-up between Humanism and Constructivism as my learning philosophy. I have read so much literature over the last several weeks. I have flip-flopped and flipped again. I find value in so many of the learning theories.

Right now, I am mentally agreeing with enthusiasm over the recent publications I’ve found regarding humanistic advising. Humanistic advising aligns with every professional purpose and passion I can currently identify. I can see my passion and interest in the humanistic advising philosophy in the professional development sessions I select and attend. I know that being caring and compassionate is 110% why I do what I do, why I stay when it’s tough, and why I try to go above and beyond everything single opportunity.

Andy Johnson [Dr. Andy Johnson]. (2015, May 22). Humanistic Learning Theory: Overview [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMGRWVXyrqg

The biggest challenge has been trying to wrap my mind around ways to bring this hands-on learning approach into my role and relationships with students. Throughout my New Culture of Advising consideration, I desperately wanted to find ways to introduce the power of the collective into my advising relationships. Federal regulations still limit me from connecting students with other students. Finding multiple current sources of humanism and advising gives me hope that there is a learning theory that will align with my goals and passions.

Nonetheless, as seen in my last post, I desperately want to incorporate the constructivist experience from which I currently benefit. The process of identifying a learning philosophy has indeed been a labor of love, and I ultimately see the reasoning in this painful pursuit. I cannot help but wonder if others read a brief description of the learning theories and picked from a paragraph or two. I have been digging and discovering sources and context in desperation for the one that felt right.

Andy Johnson [Dr. Andy Johnson]. (2015, November 11). CONSTRUCTIVISM: PART 1. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nuS6E2mXqNE&list=PLtvxUlJdr92B__8zIcLxVDEpkLuOaorP2&index=3
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Which will fit?

The Advisor That Cares

As I evaluate learning theories, I have to try and figure out which one will fit with my beliefs and the needs of my learners within the environment I aim to create with them.

Here are some questions I’m asking myself:

  • Why is the learning theory that resonates with me better than the other theories for my situation?
  •  Why is this learning theory better for my learning environment? For my students?
  •  What makes this theory better than the alternatives? More applicable? More valid? More valuable?
  •  How do I apply all that to advising?

Do I believe in what we are doing now in the ADL program?

Experiencing the constructivist principles of:

  • Learning by doing.
  •  Being inquisitive.
  •  Seeking answers and examples ourselves.
  •  Reflecting on our past experiences and current learning opportunities
  •  Looking to the future for innovative ways to address problems/challenges

Actively searching and learning is how I live my life, personally. I’m always watching YouTube videos and performing searches online to learn about whatever interests me or whatever I am experiencing in life. I have become a resource of information on any topic that draws my attention. Isn’t this constructivist approach what resonates with me the most?

Isn’t it exciting that constructivism could impact advising? Hasn’t it been frustrating that “Advising is Teaching,” found on our professional organization’s merchandise, didn’t quite fit your current role of being prescriptive and informative? Isn’t the whole point of innovating advising moving the repetitive and prescriptive parts of the job? Successfully executed, the advising resource will make available online 24/7 so that there are resources to direct students to when questions arise. Isn’t the goal of providing more meaningful interactions to develop deeper advisor-advisee relationships, as the literature indicates, valuable to student success and degree attainment?

What if your desire to guide students and change lives looks like constructivist advising? 

Words that resonate with me are student-centered, personal development, authentic relationships, learning in the collectives, and developing a learner’s mindset and disposition.

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What am I?

The Advisor That Cares

In my last post, I explained that looking back on my undergraduate psychology and sociology degree program. I recognized that I connected most with those courses that involved me in the learning process and required my reflection and personal interpretation/experience with the materials. I feel like my own learning preference is for one of authentic ownership, as we experience in the ADL Program

Reflecting on my beliefs about my role in the learning of others makes me wonder which learning theory aligns with my professional beliefs as an advisor. Examining my years as an advisor, I can honestly say that I only know what I have been exposed to through my experience and professional organizations.

My professional experience

When I was hired into higher education, I worked at a centralized first two-year advising center that believed in intrusive advising. Our role was to identify those most at risk and provide support and guidance as they transitioned into college students. I jumped into this role by organizing tours for advisors to visit support services offered across campus. I wanted to know the individuals I could contact when a student needed support. I wanted a first-person understanding of the facility, delivery, and offerings to describe them to my students in ways that would alleviate any trepidation about being labeled, being afraid, and preventing them from being comfortable trying something new or uncomfortable. There were occasions when I would walk with my students to these service locations for a personalized handoff. We had frequent communication with our assigned advisees and much smaller cohort sizes. I frequently participated with the college department I represented at the advising center again to keep my students informed about student organizations and other opportunities to bond with their community of interest.

Despite this genuine passion for student success, I have never been able to connect with advising theories about student development. I participate in my professional organization by attending conferences, sessions, and webinars about topics that interest me or seem suitable to my situation or students. The theories and resources always appeared to me as if they were written for faculty advisors and people who have long depth conversations and relationships with students and their curriculum. I typically interact with a student three times a year, around registration time, if they don’t have questions, need support, or show signs of being at risk academically. My literature review caused a crisis of self. As I read research about advising, I could not help but wonder if I have been a good advisor without employing any formal theory over the years.

Through the active learning process that is the ADL, we are presented with resources, information, references, and perspectives. Still, we are left to seek and search for many more. Thus far, my three program instructors have all identified as constructivist. I can’t honestly say I had ever learned of these theories. I silently panicked that this is something taught in Pedagogy since many in my program cohort are teachers at various levels and institutions.

This is a challenging experience for many, including myself. We are left thinking, “Wait, aren’t you going to teach me?” (Lecture) and “How am I supposed to create that?” (Checklist). Nonetheless, I attempted to embrace the challenge of learning by doing within an unlimited boundary of an assignment or course.

We are encouraged to create our own learning communities, and now I better recognize them as collectives. This constructivist approach of making an environment where learners can learn leaves many still trying to fit into the regurgitation education model. How many discussion comments? How many blog posts? Do we have to prove that we held learning community meetings? As learners, we have been duped into believing that learning is about the assessment of the professor or the program. I get it. It is in the sense that we are all here with hopes of degree attainment, but, in the process, we miss out on the genuinely hands-on, authentic, make it yours experience we have here.

I recently searched for Simon Sinek and found he offers a 4 session course on finding your why. I thought, “hot diggity, I can get ahead of the curve!” by preparing for the class that utilizes his book Start with Why. Our experience here, in just that single component/regard, is valued at $4,900ish for four sessions. We get around eight sessions in our eight-week coursework. I want to absorb every morsel of knowledge, experience, and content our instructors want to throw at us. I want to learn about their learning experience, success tips, and tricks. I want to grow, learn, and experience what this program is presenting. Knowing and embracing that I can really make a difference. That is what this whole advising thing has always been about for me. That is what makes me a good advisor. I care, I want to make a difference, and if I don’t know the answer, I will do my best to find it or connect you with someone who can.

Don’t get me wrong, I have no life outside of work and school, but the journey is what you make it, right? I’m in. I am all in. I want to change the world, one learner at a time. I want to use my current position, the challenges, and the opportunities it holds and make it better for my students and my colleagues. I want to be a catalyst for change.

So which theory is going to help me accomplish that?

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What was I?

The Advisor That Cares

While attempting to identify which learning theory aligns with my beliefs about learning, I am finding a real internal struggle between the past and the future.

Looking back at my undergraduate experience, I see powerful behavioral influences in most of my studies. I still have a few textbooks, such as:

  • Learning & Behavior, 5th Edition, Paul Chance (2003)
  •  Behavior Modification: Principles and Procedures, Raymond G. Miltenberger (2004)
  •  Sniffy: The Virtual Rat, Lite Version 2.0, Alloway, et al., (2005)

I also remember an exciting class called Brain and Behavior which focused on more biology/neurology of the brain and subsequent behavior. Needless to say, I should emphatically declare I’m a behaviorist. Yet, I’m not.

While studying both Psychology and Sociology, there are very few classes that I can remember specific details about.

  • Dr. Tulsi Sural’s classes with transpersonal foundations. Semester after semester of exploring transpersonal psychology by actively experiencing the different techniques. Each class began with a different type of meditation or practice that aligned with the approach. We then discussed our experiences and journaled about their impact of them.
  •  Dr. Dula Espinosa’s advanced sociology special topics. In her classes, we reviewed Supreme Court rulings on socially impact populations. We wrote papers and reflections on the justices’ rulings, reasonings, and interpretations of written vs. executed law.

Looking back on these experiences, they were both transformative because instead of a “sage on the stage” learning approach, these classes all involved me getting into the experience, the content, reflecting upon it, and then outlining what I learned, believed, or thought about it.

Next up, What am I?

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Anno-what?

The Advisor That Cares

So for the next assignment we will be identifying our learning philosophy and including an annotated bibliography. While I did create a simplified version for the innovation course, I feel like there is much more I can learn about it.

Annotate = to take notes

Therefore, I’m once again, turning to my favorite writing resource: Smart Student

Additionally, it is long past time for me to review and brush up on my paraphrasing skills! Lord knows my last paper was a quote-fest with weak attempts at paraphrasing. I feel like it may have been a much strong assignment if I could clearly articulate my research into my own words.

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Authentic Ownership

The Advisor That Cares

Throughout the ADL Program, we have “unlimited agency” to explore our purpose and passion, which reignite imagination and creativity (Thomas & Brown, 2011). My desire to question and explore ways to bring advising innovation to life in genuinely significant ways taps into a form of play. Creating an authentic and significant learning environment extends the same learning opportunity to advisees as they follow their passions and imagine their futures. 

By illustrating how learners today engage with the world around them through acts of questioning, the use of play, peer-to-peer learning, and learning in interest-based “collectives,” Thomas and Brown (2011) argue the case for the modernization of education. As a learner who currently directly benefits from the fundamental elements (inquiry and play) these authors identify, this learner agrees that it is time for a complete evolution.

Finally, real-world applications of the ideas outlined throughout the book reveal what significant learning environments and learning look like when they happen in this world of unlimited access while creating meaningful and personal learning (Thomas & Brown, 2011).

So, how can a new culture of advising create a meaningful environment for adult graduate students to learn in accelerated online programs?

Personal experience in peer-to-learning collectives as an aspect of the ADL program has reignited a passion for tapping into the strengths and passions of various people from diverse backgrounds and perspectives. The wide variety of our assignments and interpretation of the material is fascinating. Bringing that same opportunity for collaboration and cohort identity into the advising environment will benefit student learning.

The advising role is much like the mentor relationship described by Thomas and Brown. My purpose is to empower students on how to find information so they can make informed decisions about their path. By guiding students through the “where” of information gathering to locate policies and departmental requirements, I hope to enrich their ability to think critically and search for the questions they need to ask and the resources they need to seek to find or confirm tips and information they need. Douglas Thomas (2012) inspires me to “help people connect their passions to the things they need to learn” (TEDx Talks, 2012). 

The ADL program and A New Culture of Learning have pushed me to continue peeling the layers of transparency as I refine and define my voice. The authors candidly explore ideas of public and private information and identities to address concerns over the melding of these two arenas (Thomas & Brown, 2011). For example, some institutions and advising units utilize social media to push information, resources, and literacy. After seeing how valuable these tools and the collective born from shared interests are, I cannot help but ponder how we can connect future counselors, innovators, and leaders with one another? How can keep them engaged with their passion for inspiring continued learning about their futures and the available information resource? 

References

TEDx Talks. (2012, September 13). A New Culture of Learning, Douglas Thomas at TEDxUFM [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lM80GXlyX0U

Thomas, D., & Brown, J. S. (2011). A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change (1st ed.). CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.

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Book Response & Arguments

The Advisor That Cares

Transparency. Authenticity. Evolution.

These are a few words that I am trying to bring into my learning journey. By being vulnerable and open about my own experience, I may actual help another in their journey to do the same.

I do not know if I have ever written “a response” before. I mean I suppose it is possible that it was a writing prompt somewhere in my journey through public school, but nothing remains (a nod to the current model of education). Therefore, as I prepare to write my response to A New Culture of Learning: Cultivating the Imagination for a World of Constant Change, by George Thomas and John Seely Brown, I must first figure out what in the world a response is and how I will go about combining this with an argument for the changes I have proposed through my innovation plan.

Here were the top two search results for “how do you write a response to a book”

By being inquisitive about the assignment “Create your response to A New Culture of Learning” I am expanding the learning opportunity presented by the assignment itself as part of the authentic learning environment provided through the ADL Program.

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Learning Revolution

The Advisor That Cares

In our first class call we were asked to share what gift we bring to the course/our cohort.

I can not help but appreciate that intro discussion question about the gift we bring to this learning journey. This question about gifting taps into the passion that allows for learning naturally. I wonder how many of my adult learners (graduate students) would be willing to open up and share their answers to the same question. How about my colleagues? What giftings do they bring to the advising unit?  

Incorporating Daniel Pink’s “three factors for better performance in the workplace (autonomy, mastery, and purpose)” further provides an environment to cultivate and develop these valuable human resources (RSA, 2010). I have never considered that I have a learning environment. Through the content of this course and the program, I am beginning to identify the significant learning environment I can create in multiple areas. My students and I benefit from focusing on their learning environment from an advising perspective. I also see the benefit of creating a learning environment to foster the advising unit. Innovation can provide my audience (students/colleagues) an opportunity that comes from giving them control of the best way to process/provide information. Perhaps by tapping into the question of their gifting, they will each find the drive to continue to improve. Most of all, I want to help create an environment that produces happiness for students and advisors. From a professional perspective giving people the autonomy to communicate challenges by proposing solutions benefits the workplace culture and improves communication. This transparency further provides a foundation for building a trusted relationship between advisors and advisees customized to each learning situation or program requirement. Why not be the one that helps to create that culture? 

Videos like these are directly tied to my innovation proposal and fuel my desire to improve the systems and processes for everyone, myself included. Resources like these will continue to shape my reflections as I move toward creating my learning philosophy. 

As Sir Ken Robinson (TED, 2010) compares education to the standardization produced by a fast food model, I reflect on an undergraduate sociology text called The McDonaldization of Society. When reflecting on higher education, the author states, “the focus seems to be on how many students (the “products”) can be herded through the system” (Ritzer, 2000, p. 66). We lose humanity when all aspects of life focus on maximum efficiency and consistent output. Humans cannot be standardized, as doing so is the antithesis of customized learning, which aids natural/organic learning, growth, and personal evolution. 

In closing, the quote about dreams shared by Sir Ken Robinson (TED, 2010) reinforces my passion for advising. I have the opportunity to help solve problems, translate policy, and provide options while pointing out potential unintended consequences of those different prospects. My students are sacrificing so much to return for their degree or certification. Many students face additional examinations and licensure requirements after their academic studies. Many have families and careers while pursuing their motivations, passions, and purpose. The accomplishments that come from my students persevering in the face of life’s challenges are also dreams upon which “we should tread softly” (TED, 2010). 

References

Ritzer, G. (2000). The McDonaldization of Society (New Century Edition). SAGE Publications, Inc.

RSA. (2010, April 1). RSA ANIMATE: Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u6XAPnuFjJc

TED. (2010, May 24). Bring on the learning revolution! | Sir Ken Robinson [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9LelXa3U_I